Park Bench Justice

PBJ volunteers preparing "Survival Backpacks" for 40 homeless

One night in October I thought we could help better connect with a spiritual seeker (whom I randomly met bowling) by planning to take the unused food from a potluck dinner to some of the homeless she knew living by the Strip. Somehow, due to a miscommunication, she ended up not coming that night. As we drove around randomly looking for the homeless (since we’d lost the one person who knew where they stayed) we met a community of 20 homeless that sticks together for safety and support. Upon meeting them and hearing their stories God started doing something in the hearts of those in our Missional Community. By the end of the night they were already planning their next trip to do the same.

A few weeks later “Park Bench Justice” (PBJ) was born out of our Missional Community (www.facebook.com/ParkBenchJustice). Since then it’s grown beyond what any of us could have imagined. Every week we’re meeting new people coming to join us for our bi-weekly deliveries to 30-45 of the most needy in our city. They include people from other churches, people who have walked away from church, and people who never claimed one to begin with. The week before Christmas over 20 came out to help us pack and deliver “survival backpacks” (pictured above) full of supplies to help them through the winter. Recently we've been able to help 2 of them get off the streets and into housing, with another couple about to do the same this week, once his disability check arrives. Most of them, having experienced life on the streets, are now eager to help in any way they can. Many of them have joined us for worship services, 2 of whom are also in a discipleship group. Our Christmas Eve service, which was half newcomers, included 4 we had just fed that afternoon and 1 Mormon PBJ volunteer who hadn’t been to any church since her mother died 2 years ago.

Christ is growing his church as his people respond to his call to be the church. And he’s doing it in such a way that we can’t take credit for it. People are beginning to serve out of gifts and passions we (and maybe even they) didn’t know were there. In the process we’re seeing rapid spiritual growth as living “on mission” stretches them to the place where they see their need of God’s enabling power, and rejoice at what He’s doing in, around and through them. The culture and feel of the church has totally changed from when we first launched. It’s not what we had planned. It’s probably something better.

Please be in prayer for those serving in and being reached by this new endeavor. Please pray for endurance for those offering the most time and energy to this ministry. Pray that the resources necessary to keep this going are provided. Pray that hearts are united as the gospel goes forth in both word and deed. Pray for guidance as we seek how this development might affect our current ministry priorities and direction. Finally, pray for protection for us all as the Enemy loves to steal and kill and destroy, especially when Jesus is using his people to bring life and hope to dark places. Thank you.

“Why do I always spill my guts when talking to pastors?”

That’s what one UNLV student (an officer in the Secular Student Alliance -SSA) told me last night right after sharing the mess of his family life that he went home to on Thanksgiving - and it only took him 2 minutes to get there. Meanwhile the girl sitting on the other side of me was likely puzzled by his comment. Could the guy she’d been talking with at a gathering of the SSA actually be a pastor?

Many there were missing the sense of community they had before leaving the church. Many had so many negative experiences with Christian groups they had given up hope on the church as a whole. Yet some were actively seeking a place where doubters were welcome. Some leaders have been seeking a church willing to let them come (seriously, I’m not making this up).They’re actually excited (!) to find Christians willing to come to them where they’re at. Jesus told 3 parables in Luke 15 about God being the type who pursues the lost sheep, coins, and sons of his kingdom, wherever they may have gone. As I begin meeting with more of these students, please pray that we as a church can be that welcoming place for those with honest questions seeking honest answers and healthy community. 

A recent worship service at our paradise campus

Recent Developments

Our new Bible lesson leader captivates his young audience with Goliath's spear (or a dumbbell of the same weight)

• Two of our women recently founded “Park Bench Justice” (http://www.facebook.com/Parkbenchjustice) a non-profit to serve the needs of Las Vegas homeless who fall through the cracks of the current system. They've already created some local buzz that’s drawing people to be involved with the work of our Missional Community and, as a result, the life of our church. 
• We’ll be setting up a “Finals Survival Table” during the students “Study week” and Finals week. We’ll be seeking donations to help provide stressed out students free water bottles, coffee, healthy “brain foods,” gum, inflatable mats for power naps, humorous coffee table books, etc. Of course, listening ears and prayer are always on the house. We're delighted to have Intervarsity Christian Fellowship assisting with this event.
• Our team of Good News Club volunteers has increased (pictured above)! It’s great to see our folks being stretched as they use their gifts. This has also freed me up to operate more in my gifting before and during the club time, resulting in lower stress for volunteers (and myself).

Year End Giving

A significant portion of the funds to make a church plant happen are given at the end of the year. That’s just a reality. Those funds cover everything from renting worship space to meals with people we meet to paying our own utility bills. While roughly 2/3 of our funding now comes from local giving at the 2 campuses, that still means we’re dependent on outside giving to meet the other 1/3 of our monthly expenses. Some of you reading this are the reason I can still put gas in my car. For that, thank you!

When Jesus saw the needs before him in Matthew 9 his first instruction to his disciples was to pray for God to meet that need through his people. In chapter 10 those same disciples became part of the answer to their own prayers. I would ask the same of you. Pray that God would move in the hearts of men and women to give to keep this work going as we move closer to being fully locally sustained. At the same time, be open to God asking you to become the answer to your own prayers. You can give an end of the year gift online by following this link http://www.citywideredeemer.com/online-giving/, or by mail at the address under the “Contact Us” link on the above webpage. Thank you.

LOL

So much has happened since my last update. Much of it has caused us to literally laugh out loud (LOL) at what God is doing around us. I’ve been meaning to write this for weeks. Please forgive the delay. With the new season has come so many new opportunities for us here in the heart of Las Vegas.

UNLV: This Semester we began a new campus ministry on the UNLV campus. I meet with students on campus on Tuesdays one-on-one and in a small group. The focus is discipling students with a vision for equipping them to reach and gather other students from the UNLV campus. This effectively makes them our church’s 4^th Missional Community. This week I (by accident) ended up helping with a fellow Covenant Seminary grad as he spoke primarily to UNLV's Secular Student Alliance about “Understanding Christianity.” One student from that event wants to come to our church now, while another signed up to be part of a group called a “Thomas Society,” where skeptics are free to come with their honest questions and doubts about Christianity – and no subject is off limits.

First Good News Club at Paradise Elementary

Paradise Elementary: The principle of this school on the edge of the UNLV campus would not claim to be a follower of Jesus. Yet the impact of a Good News Club (a Bible club sponsored by Child Evangelism Fellowship) at her own kid’s school has led her to welcome us to start one at Paradise Elementary. Almost 40 kids were signed up for it at the school’s open house last month (where we were the ONLY table besides the local PTA). This week I was confused when zero children showed up at the start time. Then slowly the children found their way to the classroom where we were able to play games, sing songs, learn a Bible verse, eat snacks, hear a Bible lesson, and learn of God’s love through his Son Jesus. The children loved the time and each one I spoke to told me the name of a friend they want to invite next week.

The school has also offered to both promote and host our “Surviving the Economy” events. Next week a woman who teaches financial principles, helps folks reduce debt, etc. will be sharing what she knows with the 

families that have kids at the school. The area zoned for the school has 0% home ownership and is as diverse as the United Nations. Praise God for allowing us to be a part of what He’s doing in this community.

Serving dinner together at the Ronald McDonald House

Discipleship: The challenge of all this activity is how it increases the need for leaders and people to serve. To help with the anticipated numerical growth our Missional Community is focusing on developing leaders to keep up with what God appears to be doing around us. Each week we alternate between events that focus on serving, outreach and building community, and nights where we focus on developing our own interactive relationship with God and growth as servant leaders. Already we’ve seen young men and women rise to the occasion and step out in faith in ways that both stretch them and build into the lives of others. While we’ve been saddened by some who are struggling with a model of discipleship (and church) that seeks to engage not just the head, but also the heart and the hands, others have really benefitted from it (including myself).

How to Pray: Pray that God allows me sufficient rest and discipline to guard my own time with Him. My tendency is to gravitate to service for Jesus over time with Him. Pray that I’m able to delegate some of my current responsibilities so others can use their gifts and I can better use mine in areas that can’t be delegated. Pray for wisdom in encouraging those who have come from backgrounds where spiritual and doctrinal pride are seen as virtues, and for renewed hearts among those who have expressed literal hatred (!) for non-believers. Thank you.

Haiti

Preaching at Bon Berger (Good Shepherd) Church in Les Cayes, Haiti.  Glad I had Pastor Louis to interpret for those present, not to mention the radio and TV broadcasts said to reach 1 million Haitians. Yikes!

Days after returning from a week in Haiti I'm still processing all that happened. After making it through customs without any of our supplies being confiscated (yes!), a 5 hour drive brought us to Cambry, Les Cayes - in southwestern Haiti. Sunday was quite full.

2:00 AM - Get sick, then go back to bed.
7:00 AM - First 2 1/2 hour church service (pictured above)
10:00 AM - Same thing at another church, complete with performance by a deaf choir (not a typo)

That afternoon we got to play with the local orphans before sorting out our supplies for the coming week. I mostly worked in makeshift pharmacies in makeshift free clinics (sometimes all one room), filling prescriptions and learning phrases like "Un comprime, kat fwa pa jou" ("1 pill, 4 times a day"). Our team really worked well together, even as our bodies grew weary from the sometimes frantic pace and often oppressive heat.

Of the 5 places we went, the most rewarding might have been Thursday at Savannes. Apparently our presence got the attention of the local media (Notice the 2 video cameras in the picture above). A year ago this was a community with 100% unemployment that even other Haitians wouldn't go into. Local gang members had to be recruited to provide "security" and order so patients could be seen. But this time things were different. Peace and order prevailed. One medical provider commented on a particularly "sweet family" that she saw. Five months ago the husband of that family was the not-so-sweet gang leader whose conversion (on the day he was seen by the last medical team) led to a revival in that community. Back in February it was a church of 10 people. The next week there were 250-300 in attendance. We got to meet, treat, and pray for about 150 of them on Thursday. The lasting fruit of these trips will not be seen on the trip itself, but in the weeks and months that follow - by local pastors and their churches, and by other teams that follow. It was a privilege to see first hand what God is doing among "the least and the lost" in this country.

A few nights ago our Missional Community (pictured above) got the recap from the trip and took time to pray for Haiti. Would you join me in praying that God would make fruitful our labors there and lead others in our community to be part of the next trip in February. 

Surviving the Economy

Surviving the Economy - Auto Edition

Earlier this month we began a series of events to help Las Vegas locals weather the economic storm called "Surviving the Economy." These gatherings combine instruction from different experts with Do It Yourself training to help reduce the cost of living for folks in a city where many are living on the verge of food insecurity and/or homelessness. Many people in these situations live close to where the new church meets for worship. Our first installment (pictured above) was hosted by an auto shop owner and friend of our church. Our host shared his decades of experience to teach folks how a repair shop can take advantage of you if you're not careful, how to avoid being ripped off, and even how to do some of our own service and repairs ourselves to avoid costly repairs down the road.

Future events will focus on basic home repairs, preparing quick and easy yet healthy meals on a budget, extreme couponing, and basic financial principles that most people never learn or know how to apply. In the process we're meeting many others who had never heard of our church but now are excited for what we want to do in the city or want to join us in it. Please pray for the relationships that would develop from this endeavor - that as real felt needs are met God would allow us to minister to the deeper needs of our community. Please pray also that God would supply our financial needs - as some donors have come to the end of their financial commitment - while we trust God to raise up others to supply what is needed to finish out the year.